Visiting Artist-Anberlin

Written By Brett Holmes

They independently released two albums before number three debuted in the Billboard Top 20, which ended up in 30,000 copies of Cities being sold in its first week of release. So it was only a matter of time before Anberlin heard the call of a major record label.

In 2007, the President of Universal/Republic Records Monte Lipman announced that the Florida Indie band had signed with the recording giant and the result was New Surrender released last fall. The album hit No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative chart.

But being newly signed with Universal isn’t the only new aspect about the group. Adding a new dynamic to aid the already established guitar crux— Joseph Milligan— the group has now added a second guitarist, Christian McAlhaney.

“We love it up here [in Canada],” says McAlhaney. “I, personally, would go up to Vancouver every year for a skate competition called Slam City Jam. I‘d always go up to Canada for that and watch it. “

Anberlin’s guitarist tells us a lot of people think that signing to a major record label is selling out, but it’s not that way at all says Christian, especially for Anberlin.

And although McAlhaney was kind to Canada, the nation’s winter was not as kind in return. During their current tour, New Surrender, a trip to London, Ontario from Ottawa, the band’s tour bus made the trek took a turn for the worst. Frozen airbrakes resulted in a serious layover for the band. Waiting until a local mechanic shop opened in the morning, they were back on their way in a few short hours, to play an amazing set at Cowboy’s Ranch.

Aside from their run-in with the weather the band holds no ill-will towards Canada.

McAlhaney says, “We’ve toured up here a couple of times but not too intensely; never like good Canadian runs. Everyone in a while we do, but every time it’s just got better and better. We just decided this time around to do a full Canadian tour of most of the major cities. We know we have great fans up here.”

Great fans motivate the band, but so does the lack of touring competition during this time of year. And to their advantage, the close proximity to northern U.S. cities allows them to dip back down south of the border while visiting the great white north.
And the proof is in the pudding. Not only have all the Canadian shows “been insane”, as McAlhaney puts it, but ticket sales have been “sky high”. Becoming more notable signing with a major label also doesn’t hurt the notoriety.

“When I first joined Anberlin, that’s when we first started talking to major labels,” says McAlhaney. So I was a little leery about signing to a major again just because of my experience. But it has been awesome, and it’s done better than I could have ever imagined and has been completely opposite from my last experience with a major label.

That being with Acceptance, his former band, until getting the nod from Anberlin to take over in the lead spot.

The first song to be heard from the new album was tentatively titled Bittersweet Memory during its initial live performances, but was later renamed to Breaking. On 11 July 2008, the band showcased a second new song called Disappear on their MySpace profile. The first actual single from the album was the re-recorded Feel Good Drag which was set to go to radio on 18 August - eventually being released on 26 August.

“I like the album as a whole,” says McAlhaney, “but I really like Retrace a lot. The way it came about was it was a couple different songs that we melded together. We took the verse from one song and the chorus from another song. It was actually our producer that brought it up. The 2 songs were in different keys and he was like : what if we transpose them and put them together. And when it happened it, when we put them together, it was amazing!”

Aside from his favorite track, McAlhaney was keen on delivering what he thought was a new message, “I don’t know if anyone has ever talked about this {since the new record} but during the recording of this record we probably won’t record in LA again. We like LA for what it’s worth but it is not very inspiring. It could be for other people, but for us, for Anberlin, we recorded every previous record in Seattle. And I am originally from Seattle so when the area where the studio is where Anberlin recorded every other record is a great area. It’s really hip, with lots of little coffee shops. It’s like the arty part of town and you could walk everywhere you want to go. (The area is called Capitol Hill).”

Anberlin has already started writing and talking about the next record and has already began talking about where they would like to record, and Seattle is definitely up there.

For the band, McAlhaney believes that while the band has signed with a new label nothing has really changed. “Labels sign bands,” he says, ”and because they want to partner with them. They like what they have done, and don’t want to change them into something else. They are basically investing in a proven system.”

A lot of touring is coming Anberlin’s way. Most of their day timer this year, is filled up until the summer. After they finish touring North America they are headed to Australia and then Japan.

“Just to be able to go to a different country and have people care about your band or even touring in the United States and have people care about your band is am amazing blessing,” says McAlhaney. “Everyday we get to do what we love to do, and they are just the best days ever.”

After the New Surrender Tour, the band has a 2.5 week vacation and plans to do another U.S. tour with Alkaline Trio after that, and then will try the South American market.

But before the new tours begin a new record will be needed. As for that new record Anberlin plans to start really writing for the new record towards the end of this year.

“It’s [the band] has been an exciting ride for sure for all of us. Aside from music a lot of the guys in the band are involved in charity work,” says McAlhaney. “Stephen Christian has his own non-profit charity called “Faceless international” and he and a partner set up in certain areas.”

McAlhaney himself, has been down to Mexico 3 times on mission’s trips with my church and says that he is looking forward to doing one of Stephen’s humanitarian trips.

“I don’t know how Stephen does it,” he says. “He’s up every minute. He’s a better planner than I am.”

The first single from the album, Feel Good Drag, is a revised version of its predecessor, The Feel Good Drag from their 2005 album Never Take Friendship Personal. Changes to the track are seemingly minor, but they do overlay the song giving it a deeper density. Depth is one thing that Anberlin is in no danger of falling short. Their live performance is strong, one to definitely add to the must see concerts of the year.

And it’s no secret; Anberlin has a definite soft spot for Canadian city stops— vocalized often onstage and off by lead singer Stephen Christian—adding eight to the tour, with surely more to come.